Best Mattresses for Neck Pain (2026)

Nectar’s flagship memory foam mattress is a fan favorite at Mattress Clarity, praised for its balanced feel that offers support and cushioning in equal measure. Sleepers with neck pain, especially those who prefer to rest on their back, should lounge comfortably on the bed’s medium-firm surface, the perfect profile to promote alignment and stave off pain. 

Aside from pain relief, this mattress also scored impressively well in multiple categories. It earned a perfect rating for cooling—a rarity for memory foam mattresses—plus high marks for motion isolation (4.7/5) and responsiveness (4/5).

Physical therapist Dr. Hannah Habeeb tried out this mattress to evaluate it from an orthopedic standpoint, and she appreciated the bed’s “foam feel that allows gradual sinkage and contouring” as soon as she lay down on it. However, she noted the bed was still firm enough for neck pain: “The shoulders are propped up enough to prevent the neck from straining, and it’s aligned with the rest of the spine.”

I also tested out the Nectar mattress, and I thought it was just a smidge firmer than traditional medium-firm, or 6.5/10 on our firmness scale. It has a more supportive feel than other memory foam mattresses, as noted by my fellow pressure relief testers.

Our heavyweight tester preferred the mattress on his side. “This is really supportive, and I do feel pressure relief in my lower back,” he said. On the other hand, average-weight tester Sosha Lewis liked the mattress on her side. “The bed elevates my hips enough because of the firmness, and there’s just a little bit of sinkage—a really nice balance.”

I’d still call the overall feel of the Nectar Classic rather doughy, and it showed in my motion isolation tests. When I tried out the bed with another tester, I could barely feel his movements, as most were absorbed by the dense foams at the surface. It was only his getting in and out of bed that caused a bit of jostling, but as a light sleeper, I’d be more than satisfied with the motion absorption here. 

Dense memory foam often holds onto heat, and I was worried that, with the Nectar’s all-foam construction, I’d overheat as I lay on it. But this mattress features a cooling cover, and the foams must be pretty breathable, since it barely heated up beneath me. I even used a thermal gun to record the surface temperature before and after resting on it—it was barely a 4-degree increase! While I wouldn’t call this bed actively cooling or cool to the touch, I think hot sleepers who want a foam feel will love it as a compromise.

Unfortunately, the Nectar mattress does fall victim to the most common pitfall of foam beds: lackluster edge support. The doughy layers can only support so much weight when sitting on the edge. I noticed quite a bit of sinkage when trying it out myself. This could pose a problem for older adults or those with mobility concerns who rely on a sturdy perimeter to get in and out of bed. For rock-solid edge support, I’d recommend checking out the Saatva Classic instead.

Read more about this bed in our full Nectar Classic mattress review.

Neck and back pain often go hand in hand. If your spine isn’t properly aligned on your mattress, you’re likely to create tension and discomfort along it. For a mattress that tackles both with ease, look no further than the Helix Midnight Luxe. This earned our top spot on the best mattresses for back pain because of its cushioning pillow top and lift from the coils. It should create the ideal sleep environment for pain-free rest.

Alongside pressure relief (4.2/5), the Helix Midnight Luxe also earned high-end scores for edge support (4.8/5) and cooling (4.5/5). It’s a well-rounded mattress that can accommodate a variety of different sleeper types, all dealing with neck and back pain.

The Helix Midnight Luxe is a favorite of Dr. Habeeb’s for back pain, as she loves its “soft-but-supportive feel that makes the lumbar spine and pelvis feel neutral.” It’s the same story for neck pain. “My cervical spine to thoracic spine is in neutral alignment on my back,” she explained. “When I switch to my side, I feel like I am not that scrunched. I don’t feel a lot of pressure around my traps, so I don’t foresee it being an issue that would exacerbate neck pain.”

This mattress is just a touch softer than typical medium-firm; I rated it at a 6/10 on our firmness scale. The thick pillow top offers more cushioning and pressure relief, which our testers appreciated when resting on their sides and backs.

Heavyweight tester Caine Wilkes thought the mattress was pretty comfortable. “The plush top feels really nice and comfortable while the bottom layers are more supportive,” he said. “I usually sleep on my side, and I’d recommend this for side sleepers in my weight category.” Our lightweight tester preferred her back, explaining, “My spine feels aligned on top of this mattress, since there’s sinkage all around my body, which cradles it nicely.”

Even with its dense pillow top, the Helix Midnight Luxe held its shape pretty well in my edge support tests. I sat down on the perimeter and only felt the pillow top deflate a bit beneath me, but those coils head steady. It was the same story for lying down: I didn’t feel like I was going to slip off, and I could even sling one leg over the side without sliding off. Just note that it doesn’t seem like the head or foot of the bed has the same reinforcement—steer clear of those for seated tasks, like tying your shoes.

Also impressive was the Midnight Luxe’s cooling ability. The mattress surface felt cool to the touch, which was soothing on my neck and arms. When you sink into the mattress, it just feels like you’re being swaddled in this cooling comfort, rather than feeling stuffy and overheated. I’m confident that most hot sleepers will love the Midnight Luxe.

Sleepers who might not go gaga for the Midnight Luxe, though, are folks who like a super-bouncy bed. As a combination sleeper, I like the ease of movement on the surface of my bed. On the Midnight Luxe, it’s more of a dense, cushy feel from the pillow top. It interferes with the coil unit’s bounce underneath. While I wouldn’t write it off for sex or combination sleepers, it may not be the preferred feel for everyone.

For a bouncier bed, check out the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling. Or you can read more in our full Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review. 

Hybrid mattresses are popular picks for pain concerns due to their blend of softness and support. The WinkBed mattress is no different. This luxury hybrid mattress features a dense, cushy pillow top for pressure relief, while its robust coil system should keep sleepers lifted. Those with neck pain should achieve comfortable alignment thanks to the bed’s “on-top” feel, which will have you feeling buoyant on the surface.

Moreover, the WinkBed should be a great pick for older adults and those with mobility concerns, thanks to its robust edge support (earning a 4.4/5 rating in our tests). It also feels temperature-neutral for hot sleepers, and comes in multiple firmness levels for your personal customization.

The Luxury Firm model of the WinkBed mattress, though it comes in at a true medium-firm feel on our scale (6.5/10), felt firmer to our testers because of the lift you get on its surface. Dr. Habeeb appreciated this lift when it came to neck pain. “There’s not enough sinkage at the shoulders to cause straining at the neck,” she explained. 

The WinkBed came in a bit lower in the pressure relief tests as our lightweight tester found it a bit too firm for her liking. However, our heavyweight and average-weight testers were able to find a comfortable position resting on their back and side. 

One of Mattress Clarity’s heavyweight testers said that the mattress “felt good on his shoulders” while resting on his side, adding that his “spine felt very aligned.” Back sleeping was the winner for average-weight tester Sosha Lewis, who described the bed as “somehow firm with a light touch, since it contours well around the lower back.”

The WinkBed’s firmer feel gave it a leg up in our edge support evaluation, conducted by my colleague Melanie Kassel. When seated at the edge of the mattress, she could feel the reinforcement of the coils below, which kept her from sinking too far or sliding. “When I was lying down, the bed had really stellar edge support in all three sleeping positions,” she added. “If my eyes had been closed, I would not have been able to tell you I was near the edge.”

Melanie was also impressed by the WinkBed’s performance in our cooling test. She used a thermal gun to measure the bed’s surface temperature before and after resting on it for about 7 minutes. “There was a 6.7-degree increase, but I could see the reading on the thermal imaging gun continue to decrease as we aimed it at the bed,” she explained. “It continued to feel nice and cool during my testing.” While she didn’t find it super-cool, she recommended it to hot sleepers wanting a temperature-neutral sleep surface.

“I thought the WinkBed would be bouncier, given its status as a high-quality hybrid,” Melanie said after performing the responsiveness test for the WinkBed. Since the mattress has such supportive coils, we would expect to see a lot of bounce. Melanie found it difficult to move around on the surface, blaming the pillow top’s density. If you’re looking for a hybrid that’s easy to move around on, you might prefer the Titan Plus Luxe.

For more about this bed, read our full WinkBed mattress review.

Side sleepers with neck pain need a mattress that allows their shoulder to sink in, which will keep your neck from uncomfortably craning. One such mattress is the Nolah Evolution, a hybrid with thick, pressure-relieving comfort layers for super-sinkage. It earned an impressive 4.5/5 pressure relief score for both side and back sleepers.

It’s also one of the best mattresses for couples because of its 5-star motion isolation rating. In the rest of our performance tests, it earned 4s and above, a true jack of all trades that should appeal to multiple sleeper types.

The Nolah Evolution comes in multiple firmness options, including the Luxury Firm model. This bed came in at a true medium-firm feel on our scale, a 6.5/10. 

All of our pressure relief testers in each category were able to comfortably side-sleep on this bed. “I feel super cradled by this mattress, thanks to the plush pillow top,” said heavyweight tester Matt Schickling. “It’s so soft but supportive at the same time.” My colleague Cait Giddings echoed his sentiments: “As a lightweight side sleeper, I recommend this bed—my hips and spine feel aligned, and the pillow top is doughy.” 

After trying out the mattress herself, even Dr. Habeeb said that she would “definitely recommend it to side sleepers.” She explained, “I’m finding a lot of sinkage on this bed, which is contouring my body really nicely and relieving pressure at the hips and shoulders. At the same time, I’m finding enough support to prevent me from sinking too much, and it’s helping promote spinal alignment.” This alignment should also be key for sleepers dealing with neck pain.

Couples should also love the Nolah Evolution, since it has some of the best motion absorption we’ve seen in a hybrid mattress. Cait also handled this performance test, and she could barely feel any disturbance as her fellow tester rolled around beside her on the mattress. “My side of the mattress remained static, regardless of what was happening on the other side,” she said. 

Cait also found the edges of the Nolah Evolution to be sturdily constructed, even with the pillow top’s doughy feel. “When I sat on the side of the bed, it dipped slightly but didn’t completely crumble,” she said. “I don’t think seniors would find any complaints here—the bed has a reinforced perimeter that helps it maintain good structure.” Moreover, she had no issues while lying on the edge of the mattress, saying she felt “beyond secure” in each sleeping position.

While the Nolah Evolution performed admirably across the board in our performance categories, we wouldn’t call the testing process entirely seamless. The Evolution arrived at our studio compressed in a box—a very beat-up box, that is. It put a damper on the idea of receiving a new luxury mattress, and it made the unboxing process less glamorous and more difficult. Nolah now offers white-glove delivery for purchases over $1,500, but you may not reach this threshold.

If you’re looking for a mattress with top-notch service, check out the Saatva Classic, which comes with free white-glove delivery. You can also read more in our dedicated Nolah Evolution review.

Do you want to sleep in the lap of luxury? A luxurious mattress that could also be the cure for your neck pain is the Saatva Classic. This mattress is one of the best for support and alignment, featuring not one but two coil units, zoned comfort layers, and a spine-aligning wire in its support system. It also happens to be the mattress I sleep on every night, and have been doing so for more than a year.

Alongside a 4.5/5 pressure relief score, the Saatva also received two perfect scores for edge support and responsiveness. It’s a sturdy, bouncy bed that’s best for folks who love a lifted surface with gentle contouring. 

The Saatva Classic mattress is available in three different firmnesses. The mid-range Luxury Firm model lives up to its name, coming in at a 7.5/10 on our firmness scale. But don’t be fooled by the high number—though it feels firmer, it still offers plenty of pressure relief. Dr. Habeeb thought the mattress had a “very orthopedic feel,” thanks to its “plush, contouring comfort.” Even with that, she still found that it “kept the spine in a neutral position,” which should benefit folks with neck pain.

I’m primarily a side and stomach sleeper, and I can rest comfortably in both positions on my Saatva mattress at home. The bed offers a lifted feel that I love, and you’ll feel like you’re floating on top rather than sinking in.

It should also work for back sleepers, too. The in-house heavyweight tester particularly enjoyed the Saatva in this position. “I immediately felt the alignment when I lay down,” he said. “It feels like a stretch when you haven’t stretched in a while.”

Aside from its comfortable feel, I love the Saatva for its rock-solid edge support. I have a pretty small bedroom, so I often use the edge of my mattress as a makeshift seat. Sometimes the Saatva feels sturdier than my Amazon desk chair—you can tie your shoes on the edge of this bed without it budging an inch. On top of that, I can spread out and sleep at the very edge of the bed; sometimes, I’ve even woken up with one leg slung over the side of the bed.

That’s not all I love about this bed, though. I’m a pretty rowdy combination sleeper, and I hate when you feel “stuck” in a mattress when you try to move around on it. This isn’t the case for the Saatva Classic. The double-innerspring construction easily propels you over the contours of the pillow top, making switching between sleeping positions a breeze.

Unfortunately, this super-bouncy feel becomes an issue when it’s time to settle down with a partner. Whenever I have someone else in my bed, I can feel their every movement—-every little twitch or breath. As an extremely light sleeper, it would probably drive me crazy if I had to share the bed with anyone. If you sleep with a partner, you might like the Nolah Evolution mattress instead, which has amazing motion absorption.

Read more in our full Saatva Classic review. 

Oftentimes, you might experience shoulder pain alongside your neck pain from an uncomfortable mattress. It’s not a surprise, as muscles run the length of both parts, which can create reciprocal pain if you end up sleeping funny. The most common sufferers of neck and shoulder pain are side sleepers, since a lack of pressure relief around the shoulder or poor alignment with the lower body can lead to pain.

For a bed that aligns the head, shoulders, and neck comfortably, check out the Bear Star Hybrid. This mattress features coils to keep you lifted and a pleasantly cushy pillow top to contour to your joints. It also earned a swath of 4/5 ratings in cooling, motion isolation, and responsiveness.

When I tested out the Bear Star Hybrid, I found it came in at 6/10 on our firmness scale, just a smidge softer than your typical medium-firm mattress. This allows for plenty of “support and cushioning to prevent pressure from forming at the shoulders,” as Dr. Habeeb put it. She added that her head, neck, and shoulders were all in alignment when resting on the Bear Star Hybrid, more good news for sleepers with neck pain. 

Resting on my side on the Bear Star Hybrid, I was able to sink in comfortably without feeling like I was falling deep into the mattress. The overall feel is more cushioning than truly body-contouring. The heavyweight tester also found there wasn’t any pressure buildup while resting on his side. On his back, he said, “I feel slight pressure buildup in my lower back, not in my upper back, hips or shoulders. It’s solid from a support standpoint.”

Even with its slightly softer pillow top, I found that the Bear Star Hybrid had fairly robust edge support. There was only a little bit of sinkage when I sat down on the edges, and virtually none when I was lying across them. I only noticed a bit more collapse if I scooted to the very edge of the mattress, but you should be able to spread out and sleep comfortably. 

As a hybrid, the Bear Star mattress also offers a balance of responsiveness and motion isolation that’s difficult to achieve with an all-foam or innerspring mattress. I found that the cushioning pillow top did a good job of absorbing movement and keeping it from traveling across the bed’s surface, but it didn’t leave me feeling “stuck” as I tried to move around. This should make it a good match for combination sleepers who share the bed, as they can switch positions easily without disturbing their bedmate.

The Bear Star Hybrid may not be the mattress for everyone, though. If you’re a lightweight sleeper with shoulder and neck pain, you may want to opt for something softer to achieve more sinkage. I recommend taking a look at the Helix Midnight Luxe, which is a hybrid that will better contour to a lighter side sleeper’s hips. 

Find out more in our full Bear Star Hybrid mattress review.

If you’re dealing with pesky neck pain, the last thing you want to contend with on top of that is a bed that overheats. Hot sleepers with neck pain should love the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling. The name isn’t just a gimmick—this bed earned a 4.5/5 temperature regulation score in our tests, thanks to its cooling cover, breathable foams, and hybrid construction that allows for airflow. 

Besides cooling, this bed had an impressive showing in just about every category; it earned at least a 4/5 in all, with highlights in responsiveness (5/5) and edge support (4.4/5).

The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling comes in three different firmness levels: Soft, Medium, and Firm. However, we found that the Medium model felt a bit firmer in our studio, scoring 7.5/10. Even Dr. Habeeb noted that it was “a little too firm to feel like a true orthopedic mattress.” However, she thought the mattress could still offer relief for neck pain: “It’s relatively cushiony and evenly disperses weight through the upper back and shoulders, so I don’t think it will cause misalignment.”

Despite its firmer feel, the Aurora Luxe still provided plenty of pressure relief. Heavyweight tester Matt was able to glean the most sinkage while side-sleeping, saying, “I feel more cradled by this than anything.” Average-weight tester Melanie Kassel thought the bed was best for back sleepers. “There’s some nice slight contouring going on, so the gap in my lower back feels filled in,” she said.

Regardless of which sleeping position is your favorite, switching between them should be a breeze, thanks to the bed’s responsive feel. “This mattress is so bouncy and buoyant that cycling through the different sleep positions takes very little effort,” said my colleague Cait Giddings after testing the mattress herself. “I think this mattress would be a good one for combination sleepers and sexually active couples because it’s so springy and responsive.”

Cait also felt that the bed lived up to its name in the cooling department. Using a thermal gun, she recorded the increase in surface temperature after lying on the mattress. After about seven minutes, there was only a 5.9-degree increase. “The mattress didn’t feel like it was heating up when I was lying on it,” Cait said. “The cover feels crisp and slippery.”

While most hot sleepers should rest easy on the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe, the mattress’s firmer feel may not suit all body types. “The medium model might be a bit too firm for some light sleepers,” said Dr. Hannah Habeeb. While our lightweight tester only complained of a bit of pressure buildup, folks with concerns about hip and shoulder pain may be inclined to choose something softer. The Nectar mattress offers a bit more contouring, thanks to its memory foam construction.

For more about this bed, read our dedicated Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress review.

Finding a mattress that properly supports sleepers over 230 pounds can be difficult, and when an unsupportive mattress can exacerbate neck pain, it’s especially important to exercise caution. Luckily, the Titan Plus line exists—this is a series of beds by Brooklyn Bedding designed to provide unwavering support for plus-size sleepers.

The Titan Plus Luxe is the mid-range luxury model, one step up from the original Titan Plus Core. It features a slightly plusher medium-firm feel that should appeal to not just heavyweight sleepers, but any folks looking for a comfortable lift. It also offers an enviable balance of responsiveness (4.5/5) and motion isolation (4.3/5), appealing to single and co-sleepers alike.

The Titan Plus Luxe came in at a 6.5/10 on our firmness scale, which is a true medium-firm feel. Though designed for heavyweight sleepers, all our testers found some measure of comfort on this mattress. Matt Schickling, a heavyweight tester and the target audience, found the mattress most comfortable on his back. “I feel nice support and contouring, and my hips are aligned with my upper body,” he said. 

This sentiment was echoed by our lightweight tester, who said that it “does a good job of filling the curves of your body.” Our average-weight tester also found alignment when resting on her side, only complaining of a slight discomfort in her shoulder.

Dr. Habeeb noted that resting on this mattress provided plenty of extra support to her upper back, which helped with her alignment. “I don’t feel as though my neck and back are misaligned,” she said. “It should help with neck pain for the majority of sleepers.”

Heavyweight combination sleepers should also enjoy the Titan Plus Luxe because of its responsiveness. Cait Giddings, who handled the performance tests for this mattress, explained, “It’s easy to move around and switch positions in this bed—it’s firm and fairly bouncy, which makes it so that you can build momentum when moving around on its surface.” She only noted slight pushback from the density of the softer pillow top.

This pillow top proved handy during the motion isolation evaluation. We usually expect bouncy beds to perform worse in this area, as coils tend to amplify movement rather than stifle it. “I could tell my fellow tester was in bed moving around, but her movements weren’t enough to bother me on my side of the bed,” Cait explained. “Despite the mattress’s general bounce, the mattress absorbed most of her motion and made it easy to ignore.” Couples who are also combination sleepers should especially appreciate this balance.

Unfortunately, Cait didn’t encounter positive results in the bed’s edge support test. Here, the cushy pillow top proved to be an issue. “The bed sank a bit when I perched on its edge—more so than any of the other mattresses I tested,” she said. “I don’t think seniors would have any issue getting in and out of this bed based on its edge support, but people who like to sit on the side of the bed might be disappointed by how easily its structure crumbles.” 

If that sounds like you, you might prefer the Saatva Classic. Otherwise, you can read more about this bed in our dedicated Titan Plus Luxe review.